Digital entrepreneuRship for rural youth
DEFRY7 – 16 March 2022 – Corbeni, Romania
Have you ever wondered why digital entrepreneurship is so important nowadays?
It goes without saying that digital entrepreneurship can be an effective tool for young people in rural areas to develop skills that allow them to enter the labour market without having to migrate to cities. In like manner, the advantages of digital entrepreneurship are manifold and can be exploited in rural regions where fixed internet access infrastructure develops from year to year flexible, such as a suitable location for business development, access to a much larger market (even global!), low administration costs, communication, advertising and many others! Just to make the concept more clear, through digital entrepreneurship, we mean the pursuit of business opportunities in the online environment.
Project Objectives
The project aimed to contribute to the development of rural communities by promoting digital entrepreneurship among young people.
Our specific objectives focused on the development of both digital and entrepreneurial skills of 30 young people from rural areas.
Activity Programme
Non-formal education
The activities within the project were designed in such a way as to lead to the fulfilment of the project objectives. During the project, we used non-formal educational methods to develop our digital and entrepreneurial competencies. After assessing the expectations of our participants, we had team consolidation games and an introduction to the Erasmus+ program and the Youthpass certificate. Equally important, we organized activities for identifying career guidance opportunities, understanding the concept of “digital entrepreneurship”, and expanding our realms of creativity and innovation abilities. During the activities, we learned how to set up and develop a business plan and enriched our entrepreneurial and digital competencies, as well as our abilities in leadership, communication, risk management, and so on. Last but not least we had a meeting with local entrepreneurs that shared with us their learning experiences in the entrepreneurial world.
Project Results
We delved into alluring conversations regarding marketing, management, product, sales and pitch and many other fascinating topics from the digital-entrepreneurial realm. Henceforth, not only we learned how to use various digital tools, such as Canva, WordPress, and many others, but also we developed entrepreneurship knowledge and skills. We have also learned the difference between mission and vision, to expect for the unpredictable, how to react in stressful situtations and to build risk management plans, how to communicate efficiently etc.
learning by doing
Another key point of our activities: we learned by doing. In like manner, one entire day was dedicated to one activity – “Let’s do it!”. At first, we had to create a website for a possible business, making use of the knowledge we gathered during the previous days. For this, we used free platforms and apps, such as WordPress, Divi Builder, and Canva. Thus, we had to develop a potential business idea that we can implement in our communities, come up with a name, write the mission and the vision and design our logo. Subsequently, we had to describe the products of our firm. In the end, we needed to think of a marketing strategy and to present all of our ideas during a pitch, which lasted for exactly 5 minutes. The final aim was to convince a “business angel” to invest in us. Not only that we created a small business plan, but we also learned how to design amazing web pages.
Take a look at our business ideas!
VeggiesToe
Our veggies to your toe at one click away!
VeggiesToe is an online service platform that connects the local producer to the final customer in order to create a community of people that will learn to appreciate the value of fresh vegetables and fruits for a healthy life, as well as to empower the small farmers in rural areas to sell their products easily and at a correct price.
a – DeA
Achieve, Develop, Accelerate.
a – DeA is an online platform full of what entrepreneurs and investors need, claiming to radically shift the business world closer to the people by empowering them to get involved promptly (feedback and idea creation) and confidently become an entrepreneur by finding their path.
Happy MOO
No more sick animals!
Happy MOO is an online service platform for arranging fast 24/7 delivery of drugs needed specifically for each animal farm. They offer full-service delivery, collaborating with a plethora of suppliers to satisfy their customers and farms from all around the world. Not only do they provide antibiotics, vitamins, dietary supplements and pharmaceutics for all kinds of animals, but also do online consultation and deliver emergency advice, assisiting the farmer until the veterinary arrives.
no PLANet B
There can be no Plan B because there is no planet B.
As mentioned on their website, no PLANet B is a company aiming to support urban life through the protection of natural life. Therefore, they provide both touristic visits to different social groups, especially children and qualified green areas that are used to raise awareness of protecting natural life in visitors. Moreover, they produce more environmentally friendly products by cooperating with the contracted factories at affordable prices.
LLOGO
We design the success!
As stated on their website, the team from LLOGO spent most of their past years working across different areas of design. They can help anyone in need with the best possible suggestions and ideas to builg the visual image of a company. They give their customers a variety of options they can work on together. From understanding the customer’s requirements, designing a blueprint and delivering the final product, they make everything that falls in between these lines.
popCORN
A good movie is just one click away!
popCORN is an online service platform that will help you to find a movie to watch when you don’t know exactly what you want to see. The platform analyses your preferences based on your favorite movies and generates movie suggestions according to it. It also provides you with information about the recommended movies – the plot, reviews etc., as well as the streaming platforms where the movie is available to watch.
Project Impact and Evaluation
– on short –
What do you take home with you?
%
Knowledge and New Abilities
%
Friendships
%
Motivation to experience new things
%
Higher Self-Esteem
Project Partners
ROMANIA
GREECE
BULGARIA
SPAIN
TURKEY
CROATIA
The project „DEFRY – Digital Entrepreneurship for Rural Youth” was financed with the support of the European Commission through Erasmus+ Programme. This blog reflects only the author’s views, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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